NEWS & UPDATES

LEAPT was an unlucky loser in the 2m handicap at Market Rasen this afternoon – a mistake at the last cost him dear, and although he was getting back to the winner with every stride, the line came to soon. Still, a creditable place after his win last time out, and a really nice debut ride for us from Lilly Pinchin. Delighted that she has joined us this season, one of the best lady amateurs around.

After everything happened a bit too quickly in a high-class 21f handicap at Market Rasen last week, SHADY GLEN returned to 3m today, and very much appreciated the steadier pace. However, he’s a horse that loves quick summer ground, and the water that they had put on at Worcester meant that he didn’t really have his conditions. Still, he wasn’t beaten at all far to finish 6th in the feature race, and he will find easier opportunities to add to his tally of wins over fences as the summer goes on.

FLEETING VISIT is another ex-flat horse that has just taken a little while to get to grips with hurdling, but he took a good step forward at Stratford tonight. The pace was lightning quick – and the winner ended up running 3 seconds faster than the track record for 2m – and he got tapped for toe down the back, but he stayed on really well to regain third after the line in what looked to be an above average maiden hurdle for the time of year. If he keeps that form next time out he won’t be far away.

A combination of a wish to get LONDONIA going over fences and a complete lack of suitable novice handicap chases meant that he ended up taking some decent sorts in the Novice Chase at Worcester today. He jumped really well for a debutant – particularly, as the Racing Post observed, he’s not ‘bred for the job !’- and I was delighted to see him run into a place. Chasing adds another option for him now, and we can just pick the right race for him on the flat, over hurdles or over fences.

Another step forward for DELIRIOUS LOVE over the brush hurdles at Southwell tonight, staying on over an inadequate 2 miles to take 3rd in the maiden hurdle. It has taken a good amount of time for the penny to drop with him, but he is now settling better in the early stages of his races, and jumping really well. He enjoys the summer ground, and so we will keep him going until he tells us that he is ready for a break.

A sight almost as rare as a hen’s tooth today – SHADY GLEN ran a bad race at Market Rasen. Let’s hope that’s not one of the omens for the apocalypse !
More seriously, he’s loved Market Rasen over the last 2 years, and so it was a shame that he could just never get into the race today. They went a searing pace from the start, and he was just always slightly out of his comfort zone. For Glen, that is not a place he is happy to be – and he will make that very clear by generally sulking and not giving it his all. He’s fine after the race though, and don’t be surprised to see him turned out again quite quickly.

After the cracking results of the first 6 weeks of the season, a bad day at the office today !
2 went north to Hexham – FOLLOW THE SWALLOW and ALEXANDER THE GREY – and that that is not a journey that we make with a horse unless we think he’s got an excellent chance of winning. While we thought both would run good races and go close, I obviously forgot to tell the horses the plan. SWALLOW was running a really good race for a long way, when he stopped suddenly 2 out. Likewise ALEXANDER THE GREY ran a nice race from the front before he got swamped 2 out, and again stopped quickly. We’ll check them both out, but hopefully there’s nothing wrong and each can bounce back quickly.
2 more went south to Fontwell – GENEROUS CHIEF and CHARLIE COOK. Chief just found the flat-out pace too much for him, and he cracked with 4f to run. He’s not always the most resolute horse these days, and when he can’t dominate, he’ll often be the first to want to throw in the towel. Still, Bryony looked after him well, and he’ll be back next month to fight another day, possibly over fences. CHARLIE COOK was entitled to need the run after a year off, but although he got outpaced over too short a trip, he stayed on really nicely from the second last. He’s not been the easiest to train in the last 2 years, but assuming he stays sound we’ll look for something closer to 3m next time out, and hopefully he can continue to progress into the nice horse that we always thought he’d become.

STYNES notched up his second win of the summer today, this time on the flat at Nottingham. There weren’t many options around for him until early next month, and so a spin on the flat seemed a good opportunity to let him stretch his legs and hopefully earn some prize money as well. Liam Keniry did extremely well to get him running in the home straight – 2f out he looked boxed in with nowhere to go – and he flew home from the furlong pole to get up on the line. He’ll be back over obstacles next time out, but don’t be surprised to see him back on the flat before the summer is out.

LONDONIA tried stepping up in trip to 2m 4f today over the brush hurdles at Southwell, and the change so nearly worked a charm. He settled well, jumped well, travelled into the race perfectly, but just didn’t quite get a clear run when it mattered, and ended up being beaten a 1/2 length and a neck. Still, a really good run, and knowing that he gets further gives us more options now.

An encouraging run for PADDYS RUNNER at Nottingham today. Having missed the break and struggled to get a position early on, he stayed on in the home straight very nicely indeed to run into the prize money in the dying strides. No chance with the easy winner though – that looks to be one to stay on the right side of, as it has found a dramatic improvement for some sun on its back in recent weeks.

I’ve had a good number of people get in contact to ask about some of the horses that we have bought at the sales recently, so here’s a bit of information about them. Pedigrees etc are all available by clicking on the links on the Horses page of the website

ASK BEN is a 5yo Ask gelding, out of a Presenting mare, who was 2nd in his point to point at Ballysteen to Danny Whizzbang. He’s a lovely big strong horse who should be able to win a bumper in the autumn, but whose future will be over hurdles and fences. He is for sale.

Two 3 year olds came back from May store sales with me.

The first is Brian Boru x Lady Karinga – plenty of winners in his pedigree, and a winning dam who was tough as nails Kielan tells me (he rode her to finish 3rd round Newbury). He’s closely related to Rock on Rocky that has done so well for Matt Shepherd this year, and he’s been bought by Iggy O’Doherty. Iggy has has been a fantastic supporter of ours over the years and has been on the look out for a really nice Brian Boru for some time – and in this fellow I think he’s found one.

The second is Yeats x Roseabel, a mare from a really nice Roselier black type family. She has already proved herself to be a cracking broodmare – this fellow has 4 winning half-brothers and sisters, 2 of whom have reached handicap marks in the 130s. He’s for sale, and I promise whoever buys him, he’ll be worth the wait.

Lastly ROGUE DIAMOND has come to us from the Cheltenham sales. She won her maiden point at Barbury Castle, but she’s going to need her palate doing before she runs in the autumn. She’s shown enough to make me think that she has a future under Rules, but that future will be brighter when she can breathe !! While she’s for sale, I’d hold off on her until she’s shown what she has got in the autumn.

I’d be the first to concede that luck was on LEAPT’s side at Southwell tonight, with the red hot favourite falling at the first and another challenger falling 2 out, but take nothing away from LEAPT’s win on only his second start over hurdles. Taking out the early hurdles for low sun didn’t help him, as he was too keen for much of the race, and the long gaps between hurdles didn’t help his jumping, but he got the job done. If he carries on improving then a novice under a penalty is an option, or with a place and his win from his first 2 starts, he will be qualified for handicaps now. He’s going to give connections plenty of fun through the summer.

A debut for JESSICA RABBIT and a step up in trip for FLEETING VISIT at Worcester today, and while both ran well, both are better than the bare results show.

JESSICA RABBIT has been showing plenty at home, but it took a long time for the penny to drop in the home as to what racing was all about, and by the time it did, the race had gone. She’ll be more switched on next time and with the engine that she has, she should go close in a bumper next time out.

FLEETING VISIT was beaten almost 20 lengths by the winner – but to be fair, the winner was 18 lengths clear of the second ! He ran a really encouraging race to pass plenty in the home straight, but the winner was just in a different league today. He might get a mark on Tuesday, and if he does, we have the options of a handicap next time out. If not, another run in a maiden beckons.

Two at Market Rasen today, and both with chances. FOLLOW THE SWALLOW so nearly took his – his jumping was good, he switched off nicely while others did the hard work, and he travelled into the race really well – but he just found one too good. VISAGE BLANC got a kick from something very early in the race, and was just never at the races after that. She’s very sore on her near hind – its nothing life threatening, but she’ll take time to recover.

A baking hot day at Fontwell, and 3 nice runs from SCOOBY, DELIRIOUS LOVE and SHADY GLEN.

SCOOBY was stepping up in trip, and 26f on good ground was a bit of an unknown, but we thought he’d get it and so set out to make the race a good test. He had a visor on for the first time – he’d been lazy at Worcester last time out – and it just sparked him up. He looked vulnerable turning for home, with challengers on each side of him, but he really dug deep (with plenty of help from Kielan !) and held them both off to win nicely. He’ll need a holiday now, but he’ll back for the autumn ground.

DELIRIOUS LOVE was coming out again quickly after his Southwell run. He’s learning all the time, and today was probably the best that he has settled and jumped. Two out he looked a possible winner, but he was just quickened out of it. Far and away his best run yet, and if he keeps going in that direction, there should be a race in him this spring.

SHADY GLEN rarely runs a bad race these days over fences, and he once again put in a superb round of jumping to get into the winners enclosure for the 19th time in 21 starts over fences (2 falls on his 2nd and 3rd starts !). He was unlucky to come up against 2 old handicappers who had fallen a long way down the weights, but he gave them a good run for their money, and he will find plenty of less competitive races this summer.

We were all a bit disappointed with SERPICO at Huntingdon tonight. He’s a thorough stayer, and the first circuit of what should have been a really good test for him was run at a crawl, meaning that they quickened away from him in the final circuit only for him then to stay on. We need to make plenty of use of him, or at least be satisfied that there is a good pace from the off, next time.

BENEFICIAL JOE had lost his confidence last year over fences after a couple of falls, but had bounced back well over hurdles in the second half of the summer. His jumping was cracking today – one mistake down the back, but apart from that, very professional – but he was stopped to nothing when one fell in front of him 3 from home, and the race went from him there and then. If he jumps like that through the summer though, he’ll be winning over fences before long.

LONDONIA moved into the race really well, but then just flattened out in the home straight. Its difficult to know what to make of the run – he wasn’t beaten far, and he may just have ended up in a very competitive race – but we’ll check him out at home and see where we go next. Fences is definitely an option, as is stepping him up in trip.

To Stratford now. We know that GENEROUS CHIEF loves quick ground and can go well fresh, and so all credit to Bryony Frost for having the confidence to make plenty of use of him after 200 days off and put the field under pressure from a long way out. He kept finding more, and in the end won quite comfortably. If the summer stays dry, we’ll have fun with him !

A pleasing debut over hurdles for FLEETING VISIT at Bangor. He was smart on the flat last season, and he’d shown a liking for his hurdles at home. He hit a bit of a flat spot leaving the back straight, but stayed on well in the home straight. A step up from 2m to 2m 4f might be on the cards next time.

VISAGE BLANC’s confidence has been much improved since her wind op, and that showed in a good run at Stratford last time out. I thought she had every chance to break her maiden tag over hurdles tonight, and she came so close to doing so, just done on the line by a nose. Still, it was a very encouraging step in the right direction for her, and I’d be very disappointed if she doesn’t start winning soon.

DELIRIOUS LOVE could only improve after a dismal first run over hurdles last week – and fortunately he did ! He’d jumped 42 hurdles at home in the last 7 days, and his jumping was almost foot perfect tonight. He travelled well for a long way, but was still keen early on, and just failed to see out the 20f. I think we’ll drop him back in trip next time to help him settle and finish his race.

An encouraging run from SAMMYLOU at Warwick today on his 3rd start over hurdles. He’s enjoying the better ground, and although the trip was on the sharp side for him he jumped well and stayed on nicely. He’ll start his summer break now, and should return in the autumn a stronger horse.

PADDYS RUNNER also ran nicely enough under Harry Stock. He’s difficult to win with, but he runs his race each time.